Formed in 1993 as a Central Business Improvement District, the Downtown Knoxville Alliance (DKA) encompasses a 0.67-square-mile area, from Volunteer Landing to the Southern Railway tracks north of Jackson in the Old City, and 11th Street west of the Knoxville Museum of Art to Hall of Fame Drive. The core of the center city packs a punch for Knoxvillians and tourists alike who want the downtown experience–working, living, shopping, dining, and enjoying a bustling urban day-to-night life. It’s all here: pro and amateur sports, theatres, museums, bars, bistros, coffee houses, hotels, farmers’ and makers’ markets, local retail, festivals and live music for every taste.
DKA’s leadership focuses on attracting and retaining a thriving community of residents, businesses, and visitors in Downtown Knoxville. Within the boundaries of this less than one square mile also lie many of the fascinating and often curious stories behind Knoxville’s rich history.
“We started doing city scavenger hunts, like ‘Where’s Waldo?’ and ‘Elf on the Shelf,’ as a great way to explore Downtown Knoxville, our culture, and history,” explains DKA Executive Director Michele Hummel. “It can be an adventure activity for families, a fun first date, or girls’ night out paired with shopping. We even had an 80-year-old visitor coming through town who proudly found all the hunt’s clues by herself. Our downtown businesses love it for drawing people into their stores. They take ownership of it. These hunts are very popular with businesses, tourists, Knoxvillians from across the city, as well as our downtown residents.”
And, this summer, the permanent downtown population is growing by twelve.
The Hunt for a Scruffy Little Brand Ambassador
Based on a suggestion from a DKA board member, former DKA Marketing Director Robin Thomas looked at the popular “Mice on Main” city adventure in Greenville, South Carolina and adventures in other markets. She explored several possibilities, working with Zoo Knoxville to study what was indigenous to the area and feasible to keep life size, for a critter that would be a good fit for a permanent art installation and scavenger hunt.
“From the social side, we wanted this installation to be Knoxville’s own,” says Michele, “to have our own identity with it.”
The Great Smoky Mountains are known as the "Salamander Capital of the World,” according to the park’s website. More salamander species call the Southern Appalachian region home than anywhere else on Earth. Among those salamanders is the Eastern Newt, an amphibian that thrives in both water and on land. After settling on the Eastern Newt as the perfect Scruffy City ambassador, the DKA team drilled down the scope of the installation to 12 locations linked to key Knoxville milestones. A decision was made not to anthropomorphize the newts, but all were given alliterative names, such Noah, Naomi, Nate, and Noelle, linked to clues around character, history, and installation location. For example, Neyland will live outside the original hotel where the Southeastern Conference (SEC) was founded in 1932.
The DKA team turned to celebrated Knoxville artist/blacksmith Preston Farabow to create the dozen bronze sculptures that will hide in plain sight outdoors throughout Downtown Knoxville.
”Having Preston Farabow on the project is such a huge win. He’s a fabulous artist whose work we’ve followed and admired for a long time,” Michele says.
Preston’s custom ironwork can be seen in businesses and residences throughout Knoxville. The large-format scale of most of his projects on his website aespyre.com (storefronts, cladding, entrances, railings, furniture) offers a perspective on the challenge of creating life-size proportions of each newt that range from four to six inches long.
“I turned to ORNL wildlife ecologist Evin Carter for his extensive knowledge of the life cycles and behaviors of the Eastern Newt,” Preston says. “All 12 sculptures are versions of this species, each unique by virtue of its size and positioning. I spent approximately three months sculpting the designs, considering the location for each specific newt. If the installation location was high on a wall, like for Nigel or Nya, I would create a slightly larger version.”
Each newt was carved out of clay and mounted to a board.
“The foundry made molds from the originals, created a wax version, and then cast them in bronze using the ‘lost wax’ method,” Preston says. “Once they achieve the patina that I like, I’ll seal them before installing at each location. Each newt will be epoxied to its respective location with a threaded rod that threads into each sculpture to secure them to sidewalks, buildings and other locations around downtown Knoxville.”
Their character, cultural, or historical link also influenced design. A Knoxvillian since 1987, Preston offers a favorite example.
“I'm a UT fan, so our current quarterback just might have influenced the strong right arm that Nico has. Knoxville has been such a perfect fit for me and my work. I’m very fortunate to have built a career in this community that has been so good to me. At this stage, it’s becoming more vital for me to give back. Doing this installation is just part of my contribution to the Knoxville community that has embraced me and my work for over 25 years.”
See inSpyre.us for other community non-profit projects of Preston’s.
Newts as Networkers
“The beauty of ‘Newts in Knoxville’ is that it’s all outdoors so participants can follow the hunt trail anytime they want,” Michele explains. “As a permanent installation, it’s not reliant on being seasonal or on a business being open. Participants can pick up a passport at the Visitors Center on Gay Street to start their hunt or access it online. We designed a walkable area within downtown doable with kids in 45 minutes to an hour. We’ll expand exposure with our website presence. We’ve already been approached by someone interested in doing a book on the newts. These city adventure installations can take on lives of their own! I appreciate DKA Marketing Director Callie Blackburn’s enthusiasm for bringing this big idea to fruition.”
Overarching in its mission, “Newts in Knoxville” will draw people downtown. Whether it’s visitors in town for a weekend game or business convention, or for East Tennessee families with out-of-town guests, it’s another activity to add to their schedule: Let’s go downtown and spend an hour on a scavenger hunt!
“Drawing more people will always boost business. Downtown has experienced steady organic development, part of that market-driven, but also people here wanted to see changes,” Michele says. “The city has played a great role in infrastructure. Developers have stepped up and played a key role. Ninety-three percent of downtown business owners are local and put everything on the line to realize entrepreneurial dreams and goals. We love supporting them. They’re such an inspiration and a pleasure to work with.”
With strong adaptive measures in the wild, the Eastern Newt has a lifespan of around 15 years.
The DKA leadership plans for at least that kind of lifespan and even longer for “Newts in Knoxville.”
“We can already see its longevity. The future offers all kinds of other applications … perhaps in the Old City,” Michele adds.
All options are open for more city adventures, depending on our hometown’s critter creativity.
Join the hunt for “Newts in Knoxville” at the installation’s official launch Friday, June 6. For more information, visit DowntownKnoxville.org.
“Ninety-three percent of downtown business owners are local and put everything on the line to realize entrepreneurial dreams and goals. We love supporting them.”
—Michele Hummel, DKA Executive Director
Michele Hummel, DKA Executive Director
Celebrating 25 years with DKA, Michele is an enthusiastic brand ambassador for residing, working, and raising a family in Downtown Knoxville.
“When I moved here in the late 90s, hardly anyone lived downtown. It was a small, close community. My daughter grew up with Market Square as her backyard. The opportunity to be part of the grassroots effort to develop business and tourism is a privilege. It’s such fun watching so many people move here as Downtown Knoxville evolves into the thriving urban scene we all enjoy in 2025.”